Lee Marvin

 Not a sentimental man by nature, Lee Marvin reportedly kept only four souvenirs of his career over the years. These were his Best Actor Oscar for "Cat Ballou" (1965), the citation he received from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame for his performance in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962), his Gold Record for "Wandering Star" from the "Paint Your Wagon" (1969) soundtrack, and the high-heeled shoe that Vivien Leigh beat him with in "Ship of Fools" (1965).

When Marvin was first approached to play Bill Tenny in "Ship of Fools," he turned it down based on his sense that Katherine Anne Porter's source novel was too high-brow for his acting style. But director Stanley Kramer argued that, after many years of toiling as a heavy in supporting roles, Marvin's career was on the descent and that he would have to begin diversifying if he was going to become a bankable star. Marvin was convinced, and not only did he successfully make the transition but he ultimately won that year's Best Actor Oscar, though not for this film.

Leigh was subject to bouts of depression and alcoholism and was abrasive to fellow actors. There was a rocky start to her relationship with Marvin, wherein she complained about his stale alcohol breath. Eventually, the two became highly unlikely good friends.

Marvin served as a Marine in the Pacific theater during World War II In total, he took part in the invasions of 21 islands and was wounded and nearly died as a result during the Battle of Saipan, an engagement in which most of his unit was killed. He was a sniper and would be sent in during the night in a small rubber boat, prior to the rest of his platoon. He was awarded a Purple Heart for his wounds, and spent 13 months in therapy recovering from them. His wartime experiences deeply affected him for the remainder of his life.

"I remember the uniform of flesh, not the clothing. I remember the men. The war effort, at that time, was a condoned worldwide effort for peace and freedom. But uniforms, even then, seemed to take identity away from the individual. It's the mentality of the uniform that I don't like; I attack the uniform as a symbol of that mentality. I feel the same way about the police mentality, but instead of attacking it, I avoid it; you're in trouble if you give the cops an excuse to unload on you."